The Shadow of Our Night
by Tuxedo Mark
Summary: Captain N: The Game Master Season 7 Takes place after Instruments of Destruction. When Kevin overhears Lana and Stacey arguing over a problem, he decides to solve it for them.


"THE SHADOW OF OUR NIGHT" 

Captain N: The Game Master

Season 7

"THE SHADOW OF OUR NIGHT"   
WRITTEN BY  
MARK MOORE

  
Saturday, February 17, 1996, 5:36 PM 

    All of the members of the N Team and all of the representatives in the Videoland Alliance gathered in the Conference room and sat at the table. Lana Deschain, as President, sat at the head of the table, and Rick Walker, as Vice-President, sat to her right.     "This meeting of the Videoland Alliance is hereby called to order." Lana said. "The purposes of this meeting are to summarize what has happened recently and to plan future strategies. Rick?"     "Over the last two months, Brain Child's attacks have been fiercer and more devestating." Rick said. "She has been destroying cities with bombs. At this moment, the death toll of this war stands at 60,845,467,327 people."     "As for future strategies, I'm open to suggestions." Lana said.     "How about evacuating all the civilians to Megaland?" Samus suggested.     Lana smiled. "Nice idea, Samus, but I'm afraid we don't have enough room."     "We would if we build shelters." Mike said. "Really tall buildings with small, but not uncomfortable, living quarters."     "Well, it's worth a try." Lana agreed. "Dr. Right, begin making plans for the shelters."     "Yes, Ms. President." Dr. Right said.     "What's the closest world to Brain Child's territory?" Lana asked.     "Power Blade." Kevin replied.     "Then we'll evacuate them first." Lana said. "Meeting adjourned." 

    Kevin, Lana, Rick, Samus, Mike, and Stacey exited the warp and found themselves on a street on Power Blade.     "Okay," Kevin said, "let's get to the mayor's office. That'll be the best way to send out an evacuation notice." 

    "An evacuation?" the mayor asked. "Why?"     "Brain Child has been bombing cities for the past two months." Lana explained. "We feel that an evacuation would be prudent."     "As you wish." the mayor said. "I'll call the governor."     Suddenly, though, they heard sounds outside.     "What's that?" the mayor asked.     They all ran outside. 

    They exited the building and ran into the street.     A group of ships had entered the atmosphere and were currently flying away from each other.     "What are they doing?" Stacey asked.     "They're getting ready to bomb the city." Kevin said.     "But they're flying far away from each other." Lana said. "One bomb per city? That doesn't make any sense."     "We gotta send out an evacuation call right now, Mr. Mayor." Kevin said urgently.     Lana stared at the ships, deep in thought. Then she gasped. Lana took out a warp zone opener and opened a warp.     "We're leaving!" Lana told them.     "What?!" Kevin asked in surprise. "Lana, we can't just let these people die!"     "Kevin, there's no time to argue! This planet is doomed! Let's go!"     "No!" Kevin yelled. "Not until you explain this!"     "Kevin, we're going home! That's an order," Lana said sternly, "from the only person on this team that can _give_ you an order!" She shoved Kevin into the vortex. "Now, go!"     Rick, Samus, Mike, Stacey, the mayor, and Lana ran into the warp, and it closed.     Then the entire world of Power Blade was hit by a series of nuclear explosions. 

    The group exited the warp and entered the Monitoring room. The warp closed.     Kevin made Lana face him. "Lana, why'd we pull out?"     "We _had_ to, Kevin." Lana told him.     "What does _that_ mean?" Kevin demanded.     "Roll, check on Power Blade for me." Lana said.     "Yes, sir." Roll pressed some buttons on her console, then blinked in surprise. "What?"     Roll spun around in her chair, a look of disbelief on her face.     "Lana," Roll said, "Power Blade is _dead._ The entire planet is lifeless."     "My world." the mayor said in shock. "Four-billion people...dead."     Lana's eyes met Kevin. "If we stayed, we'd be dead."     Then Lana shrugged him off and walked away. 

    Dr. Wily entered Brain Child's lair. "What do you want?"     "I have a plan." Brain Child told him. "It will require you and five well-armed soldiers." 

    The door chimed.     Lana was lying on the floor of her bedroom, doing sit-ups. "Come in."     The door slid open, and Stacey walked into the room.     "Hi, Lana." Stacey said.     "Hi, Stacey." Lana replied.     "I want an answer." Stacey told her.     Lana stopped doing sit-ups and walked over to Stacey.     "Right now?" Lana asked.     Stacey nodded. "Yeah. I've waited for over two months since the last time I asked. Who are you dumping? I want an answer - right now."     Lana thought for a moment. "Kevin or Kristen? Okay, I'll have an answer for you tonight. I promise."     "Okay." Stacey agreed. "I hope you're serious about us."     _"I_ am if _you_ are." Lana said.     "I've never felt so serious about anything else in my life." Stacey assured her. "I want you, Lana."     Lana nodded. "You'll have me tonight. Metaphorically, of course."     Stacey nodded, then left the room. The door slid closed. 

    Kevin was standing around the corner in the corridor. Because the door had stayed open due to Stacey not walking far enough inside the room, Kevin had heard the entire conversation.     Standing at the other end of the corridor, Samus heard the conversation and also heard Kevin crying. She felt pity for him. 

    Dr. Wily piloted the shuttle towards a ship.     "We'll take over that one." he said.     The evil scientist flew the shuttle into the ship's open cargo bay. He parked it, and everyone exited the shuttle.     The cargo bay door closed, and the ship left the spacedock.     Dr. Wily opened the door, and he and his men stormed the bridge. They and the soldiers already in the cockpit locked weapons on each other.     "I'm taking over this ship!" Dr. Wily declared. "Out of your chair!"     The pilot stood up.     "You, you, and you, take everyone to the cargo bay." Dr. Wily ordered.     Three of Dr. Wily's men took the pilot and the other soldiers into the cargo bay.     Dr. Wily sat down in the pilot's chair. "I'm taking the ship down." 

    The door to the Monitoring room slid open, and Kevin, Lana, Mike, Rick, Samus, and Stacey walked in.     Roll and Proto Man were seated at the consoles. Mega Man, Riff, Chord, Simon, Kid Icarus, Link, Zelda, Kristen, Heather, Ken, Dr. Right, Li, and Duke were already in the room, listening.     "Mayor Deacon." Lana addressed in surprise. "What can I do for you?"     "President Deschain, I'm calling you on a serious matter." Marshall Deacon, the mayor of Capital City, said. "One of the Alliance's ships has been hijacked, and Dr. Wily is responsible. Here, I'll play the message back for you."     The image of Mayor Deacon disappeared and was replaced by the image of Dr. Wily.     "Citizens of Megaland," Dr. Wily addressed, "I, Dr. Albert William Wily, have taken control of one of your ships. Unless President Deschain and the rest of the N Team surrender, all eight hostages will die."     The image switched back to Mayor Deacon.     "We're unable to do anything without endangering the hostages." Mayor Deacon said. "As soon as Dr. Wily spots us approaching the ship, he'll start killing. We need the N Team's help."     "We'll do our best, Mr. Deacon." Lana promised.     "Thank you. The ship has descended, and it's heading toward the Megaland Mountains."     The viewscreen went blank.     "Let's go there and have a better look." Lana said. "The entire team needs to be there, since Wily wants all of us. Roll, Proto Man, Dr. Right, Li, Mr. S., I want you to come along as well - in case we need backup."     They all left the room. 

    A warp opened, and they all exited it to find themselves near the Megaland Mountains, far north from the Alliance Headquarters. It was twilight. Lana was flying the Warp Wagon. She parked it on the grassless ground a few hundred feet from a mountain. The warp closed.     Lana got out of the Warp Wagon and pointed up. "There's the ship."     "Okay," Samus said, "so what do we do?"     "I'll try to talk with him." Lana said. She reached for the Warp Wagon's radio.     "No." Kevin told her. "I'm going up."     "Are you crazy?" Lana asked. "Dr. Wily's probably got a bunch of guards up there with him. You wouldn't stand a chance."     "I'm a good Game Master, Lana." Kevin told her. "Trust me, I can do this."     "Kevin, I'm forbidding you to go." Lana told him.     "Sorry, Lana," Kevin told her, "this is one order I'm going to disobey."     With that, Kevin took Lana in his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips. Then he took Stacey in his arms and kissed _her_ soundly on the lips.     Kevin got in the Warp Wagon and started the engine. He took off and flew into the sky.     The only thing the others could do now was watch. 

    Kevin matched the Warp Wagon's heading with that of the ship. Then he drew his Zapper and blasted a hole in the side of the ship. Kevin jumped.     He landed in the ship's cargo bay.     The three guards in the cargo bay drew their weapons. A firefight ensued. Kevin used his Power Pad to dodge the bad guys' blasts.     Kevin shot all three bad guys, killing them.     "Are you guys all right?" Kevin asked the hostages.     The eight men nodded and got to their feet.     "Thank you, Captain N." the pilot said.     "Stay here." Kevin told them. "I'm going after Dr. Wily."     Kevin went and opened the door. He stepped onto the bridge.     It was empty.     "Huh?" Kevin wondered.     He holstered his Zapper and walked over to the pilot's chair. He checked the display on the console.     The ship was accelerating, and it was on a course heading to...     Kevin froze in terror. 

    The ship flew into the side of a mountain. The Warp Wagon did the same. Both ships exploded into an infernal fire.     Standing on the ground, the N Teamsters and their friends watched in horror.     The wreck fell to the ground at the base of the mountain, its fires still blazing.     _"Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!"_ Lana and Stacey screamed.     No one else could say anything after witnessing what had just happened.     Everyone stood there, staring at the wreckage in paralysis. 

    It was Samus who eventually found the strength to lead the others back to the Alliance Headquarters. It was dusk by now.     They entered the Monitoring room. By this time, the humans were crying. Those who knew Kevin the longest cried the loudest. Even Simon Belmont found that he could not hold tears back.     Roll silently walked over to her console and called up the Videoland News Network.     A man's face appeared on the viewscreen. "Yes?"     "I'd like to speak to Cathy Bennett, please." Roll said. 

    Cathy Bennett was handed a datapad. She quickly scanned it. Then she looked up at the camera, her face displaying shock.     "Ladies and gentlemen, I've just received some very bad news." Cathy began. "Just a few minutes ago, the N Team went to rescue the hostages on the shuttle that was hijacked by Dr. Wily. Captain N boarded the shuttle by himself. Soon after, the shuttle exploded. There were no survivors." Cathy's eyes began to water. "Captain N is dead. The - the first time I met Kevin Keene was on Sunday, September 10th, 1989, the day after he arrived in Videoland. He was happy to be here, helping people. He died helping others, and he will be remembered as a hero. I'm sorry, I can't go on! Rob, can you take over, please?" 

    Zelda took Lana to her room. The two of them sat down on the bed, with Zelda on Lana's right.     Zelda had managed to stop crying - partly through will, but mostly because she didn't know Kevin that well.     "Lana, I'm so sorry." Zelda told her. "I know how much he meant to you."     Lana didn't say anything. She didn't have the strength.     Zelda took Lana into her arms, and they hugged each other. 

    Dr. Wily walked back into Brain Child's lair, along with his two surviving soldiers.     "You have succeeded." Brain Child said. "While the N Team mourns a deceased member, they are unprepared to handle an attack. Dr. Wily, launch more ships carrying nuclear weapons."     "Yes, master." 

    The door chimed.     Lana was alone in her room now. She was lying on her bed, her face buried in the cover, crying.     The door chimed again.     "Come in." Lana called weakly, sitting up.     The door slid open, and Kristen walked into the room.     Kristen saw that Lana had been crying intensely. Her face was all red. It was painful to look at, and it made what Kristen had to say so difficult.     "There's, uh,...there's going to be a memorial service in a few minutes in the Conference room. Are you coming?"     Lana nodded and stood up.     The two of them left the room. 

    Kristen and Lana entered the Conference room. Kristen sat at the head of the table, and Lana sat to her left.     Kristen looked into everyone's eyes before beginning. "We're here right now to remember our friend, Kevin Keene, who was killed. This is a real tragedy, and I'm not sure how we should proceed. Perhaps we should start with a theological discussion."     "Do you - do you think Kevin still exists?" Mike asked, crying.     "That's a good question, Mike." Kristen said. "I see six possibilities. 1) Kevin is in Heaven. 2) Kevin is in Hell. 3) Kevin is in Purgatory. 4) Kevin's been reincarnated. 5) Kevin is completely dead and no longer exists. 6) Kevin is somewhere that we've never even thought of. Kevin no longer existing goes against Judeo-Christian theology, but it's the most logical possibility. When Kevin...was killed, his brain cells were destroyed. The human brain is the source of consciousness and thought - indeed, the source of life itself. When the brain dies, logic suggests that we no longer exist. No eternal life. We just die. I'm not sure what to make of Purgatory. It's a Catholic belief that if a person is bad, but not bad enough to deserve eternal damnation, their soul goes to Purgatory, where they suffer temporarily in order to purge their sins, and then they go to Heaven. Purgatory is not in the Bible, but there is a Biblical passage where a man prays for the dead. Apparently, he believed that the dead could be saved. This can be taken as Biblical support for Purgatory. I don't know what happens to people when they die. We'll all die someday, and we'll either find out, or we won't. If you believe in an afterlife, hope Kevin's in a good one."     Kristen paused, and everyone was in silent thought.     "Next, let's share our feelings about Kevin. We'll go counter-clockwise." Kristen said. "I didn't really know Kevin that well. We didn't talk much. But he seemed like a really nice guy, and I considered him a friend."     "Kevin was my best friend." Mike said. "We had a lot of fun together, and I'm really disappointed in myself for bullying him. I'll miss you, Kev."     "I always thought highly of Kevin." Rick said. "He was a good leader and a good friend."     "I can't believe Kevin's gone." Stacey said. "I loved him."     "Kevin and I didn't talk much with each other," Heather said, "but I'm sad that he died. He was loved by many."     "From what I've learned about Kevin from himself and others, he seemed nice," Ken said, "and I'll miss him."     "I didn't know Kevin that long," Samus said, "but I felt he was a good person, and I'll miss him."     "Kevin was a great Captain. He was also my friend." Mega Man said. "He came to our rescue a lot. I'll miss him."     "Uh,...I was always mean to Kevin," Simon said, "and I really regret it now. I wish I could've gotten the chance to know the kid better."     "Kevinicus was a great Game Master." Kid Icarus said. "He was cool. He'll be missedicus."     Duke moaned sadly and coughed.     "The first time I met Kevin Keene, I was jealous of him." Link said. "But we became friends. Good-bye, Kevin."     "I didn't know Kevin that well," Zelda said, "but I know Lana loved him, so Kevin must have been very special. I'll miss him."     "Kevin was a cool guy." Li said. "He played cool music. His death was such a loss of talent."     "Kevin was a fine young man - and a friend to all of us." Dr. Right said. "I will miss him."     "Kevin was the man." Riff said. "I miss 'im."     "I miss him, too." Proto Man said.     "When a friend dies, people cry." Roll said. "Robots don't cry, but they _should,_ because _I_ feel like crying. right now."     Lana struggled to control her tears. "I can't believe Kevin's dead. I'm sorry, I can't go on."     Roll put her right arm around Lana's shoulders and hugged her.     "I think we should now pray for Kevin." Kristen said. "I brought a rosary." She took it out. "Those non-Christians among us, you don't have to pray, but please keep Kevin in your thoughts. We'll do one section of the rosary."     The room was silent for a moment.     Kristen did the Sign of the Cross by placing the crucifix on her forehead, over her heart, and on her left and right shoulders. "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Kristen began the Apostles Creed: "I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day, He arose again from the dead. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead."     Mike, Rick, Stacey, Heather, and Ken joined in: "I believe in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Catholic Church; the Communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and life everlasting. Amen."     Kristen held the first bead with her right thumb and index finger. "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven."     "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen."     Kristen went to the next bead. "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit."     "As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen."     "The First Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection." Kristen announced. "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven."     "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."     "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit."     "As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen."     That concluded the first section of the rosary.     Finally, Kristen, Mike, Rick, Stacey, Heather, and Ken said the Fatima Prayer: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven - especially those most in need of Thy mercy."     "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." After performing the Sign of the Cross, Kristen kissed the crucifix and put the rosary away.     Everyone was silent for a moment.     "Does anyone have anything to say?" Kristen asked.     "When are we gonna tell his parents?" Rick asked.     Kristen sighed. "When the war is over,...whenever _that_ will be. We can't risk a trip to Earth right now, no matter _what_ the circumstances. We'll attend the Mass when the time comes."     "Would it help to offer prayers to my Gods?" Zelda asked.     "Considering that Kevin wasn't Hylian, your Gods might not consider him one of their children." Kristen replied. "So I don't know if prayers would _help,_ but they certainly wouldn't _hurt._ Anything else?"     No one said anything.     "All right. The service is concluded."     Everybody stood up and left the Conference room. 

    Stacey walked into her bedroom. The door slid closed.     She sat down on her bed and began to cry again.     "Damn it, why'd he have to go up there?!" Stacey yelled. "Why'd he have to die! It's not fair!"     Stacey stood up and walked into her bathroom.     She looked at all of her cosmetics standing on the counter.     "It's not fair!" Stacey yelled. "Kevin's dead, and here I am with my stupid life! None of this stuff here matters. I'm vain! It won't matter how I look if I'm dead!"     Stacey threw away all of her lipstick, eyeliner, make-up, and other cosmetics. She poured her perfume down the drain and threw the bottles in the trash. 

    Cathy Bennett was handed a datapad. She quickly scanned it, then looked up and faced the camera.     "We've just received word that the planet of Puss 'n Boots has just been hit with nuclear missiles. All 6,478,346,665 people have been killed."     She was handed another datapad. She scanned it and looked up.     "Faxanadu, Polo World, Studio World, and Nottingham have also been hit. Everyone on each of those worlds have been killed. Faxanadu: 7,334,432,889. Polo World: 4,553,988,645. Studio World: 3,556,532,341. Nottingham: 2,896,665,457. Wombatman was one of the ones killed. King Melvis, Queen Dwarfine, Robin Hood, and Maid Marian are still alive and well, because they're in Megaland at the Alliance Headquarters. The death toll of the war currently stands at 89,712,345,642. This is truly a tragic day for Videoland."     Mike shut off the viewscreen. "This is horrible."     "We must forget about Kevin for the moment." Samus said. "Videoland needs the N Team, and the N Team needs a leader - now."     "I agree with Samus." Rick said. "There's only one thing to do. You feel up to it, Mike?"     "I guess." Mike replied. 

    Lana was standing in front of the sink in her bathroom.     She splashed cold water on her face and began washing it.     The door chimed.     Lana shut off the water and walked into her bedroom.     "Come in." she said.     The door slid open, and Mike walked into the room. He had his hands behind his back.     "What do you want?" Lana asked.     "I, uh,...I wanted to see how you were feeling." Mike said.     Lana sniffed.     Mike brought his hands out from behind his back. He was holding a jacket.     "Um,...here's Kevin's senior year jacket." Mike said. "We thought you might want it."     Lana took the Northridge High School jacket from him. "Thank you."     "We want you to wear it." Mike said.     Lana looked up at him. "What?"     "We need a leader." Mike said.     "I have just lost someone dear to me, and you want me to take over for him?!" Lana cried.     "Lana, you _have_ to." Mike told her. "As the founder and original leader of the N Team, leadership now falls to you. It's your responsibility."     "I don't _want_ the responsibility!" Lana cried. _"You_ lead!"     "Lana, I know you're upset." Mike said. "We're _all_ upset. But we _need_ you!"     "Mike, please, leave me alone!" Lana begged.     "Lana, billions of people are dying." Mike told her. "If you sit around and do nothing, then you're condoning murder. Now, how would Kevin feel about that?"     "Get out!" Lana yelled angrily.     "Lana, please!"     _"You son of a bitch, get the fuck out!!!"_ Lana screamed.     Mike looked into Lana's eyes. They were full of sadness and rage. He turned and silently left the room.     Lana clutched the jacket to her chest. 

    Later that night, Lana and Stacey were standing outside in front of the Alliance Headquarters. They were silent, alone in their own thoughts. A breeze blew across their grim, haunted faces.     "May I join you?"     Lana and Stacey turned around and saw Samus approaching them. The bounty hunter wasn't wearing her armor.     "Yeah." Stacey said.     Samus noticed that Lana was dressed in blue jeans, a tanktop, sneakers, black fingerless gloves, and a red vest with a black "N" on the left breast.     "Well,...congratulations, Captain N." Samus remarked.     "Thanks." Lana said. "Is there something you wanted?"     "Yeah." Samus said. "I wanted to tell you something."     "What is it, Samus?" Stacey asked.     "Kevin knew over your planning to dump someone." Samus told them. "He overheard you."     "What?" Lana asked in surprise.     "Well, don't worry, Captain." Samus said. "You don't have to choose anymore. Kevin chose _for_ you."     Lana and Stacey stared at her, stunned.     "You know what?" Samus asked. "You two deserve each other."     Samus turned and walked back into the Alliance Headquarters.     Lana and Stacey looked at each other, then walked away from each other in silence. 

**TO BE CONTINUED...**   
Copyright © 1999 by Mark Moore 


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